Syn-En: Plague World: The Founders War Begins Page 12

  The Paladin’s braided feathers quivered and her mouth thinned. She jerked her head once. Her red eyes locked with Bei’s as she passed. “They need to leave with us.”

  He nodded. He wouldn’t leave them behind, but without his tech, he’d be hard pressed to move anybody off-world.

  Davena tracked Apollie, her mouth opening and closing several times. When the Skaperian crouched down and set her hand on Doc’s chest, Davena’s hands dropped to her sides, fists protruding from her cuffs.

  The leader seemed almost jealous. Bei smiled.

  Nell elbowed him in the gut. I don’t care if it is a valid military tactic. Having Doc seduce Davena to get her and her people to leave is just plain mean.

  It is for their own good. Bei pulled his wife’s back flush against his chest. Now, what was this idea to recover my tech?

  “Davena?” Nell cleared her throat.

  The dark-haired woman bounced her attention between Nell and Doc before settling into a glare at Apollie. “Is the Skaperian his mate?”

  Apollie’s mouth opened. “Of course not!”

  Groaning, Doc covered his ears. “Seriously, featherhead, you don’t have to shout.” He scraped a hand down his face.

  Nell reached for Davena’s hand. Electricity crackled in the space between. Frowning, she turned her hand over. Blue light danced between her fingers. “Is my hair standing on end?”

  “No.” Bei would bet the charge meant something. Doc had been shocked when he’d touched Nell, but Bei hadn’t. Yet, Doc had touched Davena with no consequences, and they didn’t have a relationship. How exactly did these fermites work?

  Wiping her palm on her trousers, Nell cleared her throat. “Davena.”

  The leader tilted her head and ripped her attention from Doc and Apollie. “Why does she touch him if she is not his mate? Only family should touch each other.”

  Nell blinked. “We are a kind of family. And Apollie is concerned about Doc. It’s nice to have someone at your side when you…wake up.”

  Bei caught the long pause. Did his wife plan to keep the fact that the Syn-En were cyborgs a secret?

  Davena pursed her full lips. “Comforting is a job for a wife.”

  And a wife belonged at her husband’s side, or so Nell was always telling him. Since Davena was interested in Doc, and Doc was a Syn-en, Bei knew exactly how to get these biologics off Surlat.

  Clutching his head, Doc sat up. He drew his knees close and rested his elbows on them. “Oh, yeah, rebooting always leaves a mark.”

  Nell’s shoulders sagged. “Perhaps, Davena, you could try to take away Doc’s pain while we talk.”

  “Gladly.” Davena rubbed her hands together. Fermites swarmed around them.

  Nell moved to follow.

  Bei tightened his grip. How does this help my men?

  Trust me. With a wiggle of her hips, she slipped away.

  #

  Nell trudged behind Davena, careful to avoid stepping on the leader’s robes. The air clung to her like molasses in February—thick and sticky. Fermites stung her fingertips and nose like a frost. Something was fishy in Denmark and Nell seriously doubted it was the Little Mermaid. She had to convinced these villagers and fermites to leave the planet. Force wouldn’t solve the problem, neither would cunning. At least, not entirely.

  Honesty was the best weapon, she just needed to find the key to unlocking its potential.

  Davena kicked her robes behind her and knelt next to Doc. Her glowing hands hovered in front of him. “Where does it hurt?”

  Apollie sidled away.

  Wincing, Doc stared at Bei.

  Tell her. She likes you. Bei’s fingers skimmed the small of Nell’s back. If my wife’s plan doesn’t work, we’ll need options.

  Doc swore, then shifted his attention to Davena. “My head hurts.”

  The leader tilted her head. Silver clouds swirled around her extended index fingers.

  Doc leaned back, moving out of range. “You shouldn’t waste your abilities on me. I’ll be fine. Your people will take longer to heal.”

  Davena’s full lips turned down and her brow furrowed. “You are rejecting me?”

  “No!” Doc grasped her hand. Fermites gilded his skin. “My situation isn’t as critical as your people’s. You should help them, before me.”

  Her dark eyes fixed on their joined hands. “Aren’t your people trained healers? Are they not tending to their injuries? Did not the Oracle of your people bring our young one back before he returned to dust from whence we came?”

  Bei pinged Nell’s interface.

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. She hadn’t forgotten her super-freak powers. Nell dropped to the ground next to Davena. Fermites bounced off the leader’s robe. They danced in blue streaks over Nell’s sleeves. Her power cells registered increases in two percentage increments.

  Are you well? Bei sat behind her. His body practically vibrated with coiled energy.

  The other refugees filed into the space behind Doc. Men and women in red shirts sat in the front row. Yellow shirts lounged behind them. Green and white filled in the last row, while the blue shirts checked the bread in the oven or pulled baskets of fish from the river and began to clean them.

  Did you see that? They’ve color coded themselves. Nell squeezed her husband’s knee. I am fine. Tell everyone to hold tight. This will take time. After covering a yawn, she rested her hands on her lap. “Doc, please let Davena take away your pain.”

  Doc thrust his chin out. The hair on his goatee stood on end. “Very well.”

  Davena stroked her thumb across the back of his hand before freeing herself. Her lips moved, but no words were spoken. The fermite swarm thickened around her index fingers before she touched them to Doc’s temples.

  Doc screwed his eyes closed.

  Nell counted heartbeats. One. Two…Five. Six… Nine. Ten. Words clawed up her throat. She swallowed them down once. On the second time, she gave up. “It means something, doesn’t it? The fact that Doc can touch you, but was shocked when he touched me.”

  Davena pursed her lips. “Usually only close family can touch the Oracle.”

  That didn’t make sense unless… Nell picked her cuticle. “Are we talking blood relations or the family we choose?”

  “Blood.” The fermite glow left Davena’s hands. “Oracles are chosen by the power of the bloodlines.”

  Bei scooted forward until his legs cradled Nell’s bottom. She may be talking literally. Your body had extra power because of your cells. Plus, you mentioned that you ran through watch batteries and cellphones faster than anyone you knew.

  How did you… Never mind. Nell shook the thought free. Anything battery-powered tended to have a short life span when her family possessed it. She’d mentioned that factoid when Doc had installed her backup power supply after she’d merged with the NDA. “Doc isn’t in your bloodline, so how can he touch you?”

  Frowning, Davena glanced at Nell. “He is a suitable mate for me. Our combined bloodlines will create a child worthy of being Oracle.”

  Doc choked and jerked back. “Mate?”

  Gossamer threads of fermites kept the connection between his head and Davena’s fingers. Her black eyes snapped with fire. “You do not have to accept me. You can just return to the stars and your precious Earth.”

  Doc’s tan skin turned rosy. “I—”

  Bei cleared his throat. “About us returning to the sky…”

  “Okay, that’s enough.” Nell blew her bangs out of her eyes. This situation was fast getting out of control. She pinged her husband.

  Doc, Richmond, and Queens groaned.

  Bei squeezed Nell’s hip. You need to learn to aim better.

  And you need to learn to let me do this. Holding her breath, Nell rested her hand on Davena’s shoulder. Her energy levels increased at a steady pace and her skin tingled. Something stirred in the back of her thoughts, like a shadow of a memory. “We are new to this whole Oracle thing, and Doc has only recently been granted his freedom. He is
reluctant to surrender his free will just because someone else says he should.”

  Davena wiggled her fingers severing the stream of fermites linking her to Doc. “The Meek have blessed our potential union. They are not a someone.”

  “And many of his friends died to give him a choice.” Nell searched for the right words to explain. Too much might put Davena off of Humanity. “He is a healer. And although his skills are different than yours, you must understand how devastating it is to see such a loss of life and be helpless to prevent it.”

  Stiffening, Doc opened his eyes. Are you implying I am less than a Syn-En because of my medical training?

  I’m giving you two common ground to breach a misunderstanding. Nell rolled her eyes. Men and their egos.

  “Death is a natural part of life.” Davena rested her hands, palms up on her knees. Fermites coated her skin in a shimmer of silver before disappearing.

  “Not these deaths.” Bei spoke softly. “Our friends, our family, sacrificed themselves so that the rest of us might be free to choose our own path, write our own story.”

  Tears shimmered in Davena’s eyes. She set her hand atop Nell’s. “Are these oppressors coming for us?”

  “No. The Founders are worse. Much, much worse.” Nell’s fingers prickled. She didn’t press the issue. Sometimes less is more. “Doc, how’s the head?”

  “Easiest reboot ever.” Doc planted his hands on the stone beside his thighs. “Thank you.”

  Davena glanced at him from under her long eyelashes. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry that I could not integrate the connection between the parts of you that are organic and the parts of you that are artificial.”

  “Synthetic.” Doc snuck looks at Davena every three seconds. “Parts of me are biologic, like you. The rest is synthetically-enhanced. I’ve seen what you’ve done in here.” He tapped the back of his skull. “And I think I might be able to build on that to help others.”

  “I’m glad to help a fellow healer.” White teeth flashed in Davena’s caramel skin. Black curls caressed her wide cheekbones. “Why do you think the Meek will not be able to protect us from these…Founders?”

  Finished with their patients, Queens and Richmond joined the five-man crew of redshirts and carried them toward the cliff-dwellings. The sizzle of fish frying overwhelmed the scent of fresh bread.

  Nell swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Her stomach grumbled. Syn-En rations weren’t going to appease her belly tonight. “The Founders occupied this planet nearly a hundred years ago. They used this world to build weapons and the Meek did not stop them.”

  Davena studied her fingernails. “The records speak of a time when other species were here, but we lived apart, separate. The others did not bother us, nor did we bother them. We are peaceful.”

  Bei sat up straighter. “Records?”

  Doc’s head snapped up. “How far back do these records go?”

  “To the beginning.” Davena ignored Bei in favor of Doc.

  Boy, she had it bad. Nell set her hands on her stomach. “The beginning of what?”

  “Our settlement.” Davena raised her face to the afternoon sun. “It goes back many generations.”

  Nell’s heart rate quickened and her gaze cut to Apollie. The Neo-Sentient Alliance had claimed other worlds for their Human inhabitants, Founders’ worlds. Perhaps… “If we can build up a claim, prove people have been here and—”

  The Skaperian shook her head. Her braids brushed her shoulders before settling. “Humanity was able to claim those worlds because they had been abandoned for over a hundred years.”

  “Squatters’ rights.” Bei leaned to the side. “The last of the Founders disappeared from Surlat not quite a century ago. Groat’s timeline is to ensure we cannot demand the planet be turned over to this colony of biologics based on the squatters’ rights clause in the Erwar codicils.”

  Apollie nodded. “The Founders will not relinquish a pillar world.”

  The Founders didn’t want to give up anything. It cut too badly into their profit margins. Nell clasped her hands so tightly her knuckles showed white.

  Davena’s dark eyes narrowed. “We lived with these Founders before. We can do so again.”

  Bei jerked his head toward the Oracle. Tell her.

  Nell sighed. “The Founders only left this planet because they were forced to.”

  The Oracle raised her chin. A smile curved her lips. “The Meek do not approve of violence.”

  Yeah, yeah, the Meek are pacifists. Until the rest of the universe joined the party, that didn’t amount to a hill of beans. “No, not the Meek. A virus. It originated on this planet, spread through the galaxy, and nearly wiped out all life. The Founders believe the virus is still here and they plan a Scorched-Earth campaign with a side of Shock and Awe to purge this world.”

  Davena tucked a curl behind her ear. “The records speak of the Purification. We survived it once. The Meek willing, we shall survive it again.”

  Apollie crossed her pale arms over her speckled breastplate. “Even if you do, the Founders will not allow you to remain. The Erwar Codicils are very specific. A species can arise on one planet only. Humans came from Earth. The Erwar archeological records confirm it. You must relocate to a Human world or submit yourself to the will of the Founders.”

  Doc dragged in a breath. His fingers flexed on the ground. “You and your people have known nothing but freedom. You will not like being chattel.”

  “The Meek will not allow that to happen.” Davena patted his arm.

  Nell pursed her lips. Good Heavens, she’d make better progress butting her head against a rock. She groped through her memories. Deep in her past stretched one potential future, one that might jar the oracle from her entrenched position. “The Founders won’t stop until you are all dead. They believe you carry a new version of the virus, one that is deadlier than ever. Fear drives some into doing crazy things.”

  Davena shrugged. “We will explain that we are not carriers, and the Founders need not fear us.”

  An ache pulsed at the base of Nell’s skull. What was she missing? There had to be an argument to sway the oracle.

  Bei’s presence was a warm caress in her mind. The argument will not be settled today, but we have time. A whole day before the America reaches orbit.

  Before they had to decide how they would remove an unwilling people from the planet. If the fermites let them. Although Nell knew Bei would protect Human life with everything in him, she also knew the fermites tipped the scale in favor of any means necessary. She shuddered. Given how the Founders treated those they conquered, perhaps it was the lesser of the two evils.

  Apollie folded her legs Indian-style. “The Founders will not listen. They will keep hammering at you, and hammering at you, until you surrender or die. Are you willing to be responsible for the death of your people when you could have prevented it?”

  “I have faith in the Meek.” Davena raised her hand. “We shall not perish.”

  Men and women in blue wove through the crowd. Some carried corn tortillas, other slices of yellow bread. Baskets of peaches, apricots, and apples were set before every fourth person. Orange blossoms decorated a basket of greens, while palm leaves held fish cooked to a golden-brown.

  Nell’s mouth watered. If she didn’t eat soon, her stomach would try to slip through her belly button.

  “Let us table such discussions for later and celebrate our reunion.” Lifting her face to the heavens, Davena raised her arms. “Let us thank the Meek for such a bountiful offering, for the return of our brothers and sisters from the stars, and a future of peace.”

  The natives mimicked the motion of their leader. “Praise be the Meek.”

  Nell bowed her head. And if there cannot be peace, give these people a sign it is time to move on. Something in bright neon that blinks off and on, so even the most determined accepts their fate. She removed a peach from the basket before handing it to Bei. “Davena, I’m sure you know that this is not all of our people. We would li
ke your permission to move our ships closer to your village.”

  “Of course.” Davena licked speckles of fish from her fingers.

  Bei’s fingers dug into the soft flesh of the fruit. You can’t seriously believe—

  Admiral, excitement raised the pitch of Queens’s voice. All systems are back on line. We’re beginning our mission in three….two…one. Birds are in the air. I repeat, birds are in the air.

  Bei bit into the mangled peach. How did you know?

  Nell shrugged. I guessed. Everyone fears the unknown. We were the unknown, so the fermites protected the villagers and shut us down. She shifted on the ground. Her butt was going numb. Maybe she could drag a chair off the ship. “Thank you for your hospitality, Davena. One of my favorite things of away missions is eating the food. I’m always amazed at the number of planets who have a plant similar to Earth chocolate.”

  Davena dredged a pinch of flatbread through the juice surrounding the fish. “I am not familiar with chocolate.”

  A piece of peach jammed in Nell’s throat. She pounded on her chest to dislodge it. Her windpipe burned for a second then disappeared. Fermites. She wiped her mouth. “I can’t believe you don’t have chocolate.”

  Doc rolled a piece of fish in a squash blossom. “Nell Stafford has a secret stash of it under her bed. I’m sure she’ll share.”

  Nell’s mouth fell open.

  Bei shook his head. “She moved her secret stash to the top shelf of the closet. Elvis got high after finding it.”

  She elbowed her husband in the gut. “It’s hardly a secret since everyone knows about it. And I moved it to stop Elvis from binge-eating his doggy-funk away.”

  Chocolate was rarer than gold in the universe. It wasn’t to be wasted on those who don’t appreciate its innate goodness.

  Apollie removed a knife from her breastplate and skinned an apricot. “He will perk up once his pack rejoins the ship. Of course, your conceiving would do the same.”

  “Your oracle is trying to conceive a child?” Davena touched the uneaten fish head and tail. It shimmered for a moment then disappeared in a burst of glitter.

  Nell wiped her hands on her pants. Now that was a superpower she could have used as a teenager. She tapped the peach pit. It moved an inch. Figures.